"Kyunki unke paas paisa hai, unko ghamand ho raha tha. Unnhone socha hoga, 'Yeh chhote log mera kya bigaad lenge?' (He has money and pride, and must have thought, 'What could these poor people do to me?')," said 48-year-old Ashok Kumar, the security guard of a Gurugram high-rise who was repeatedly slapped by a resident on 29 August.
The incident took place after the resident, identified as Varun Nath, was stuck in a lift for a few minutes at Gurugram's 'The Close North Apartments' in the morning. The act was captured on a CCTV camera and went viral on social media.
In the video, 39-year-old Nath, who is a businessman, can be seen slapping Kumar as well as the lift operator.
An FIR under Sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) was registered at the Gurugram Sector 50 police station. Nath was arrested and later let out on bail.
'He Threatened Us, Saying, 'Sab Ko Dekh Loonga''
Describing the incident, Kumar told The Quint, "He (the resident) was coming down via the lift from the 14th floor. When the lift stopped on the ground floor, the door didn't open. Then he called me on the intercom and told me what happened. So, I immediately got to work; it took four or five minutes to get him out."
However, as soon as he got out, Nath "attacked" Kumar and abused him.
"I kept asking him, 'Sahab aap mujhe kyun maar rahe ho? Meri toh koi galti nahi hai'. (Sir, why are you hitting me? I am not at fault)."
Kumar said that he then took a step back, fearing that the resident wouldn't stop hitting him. Subsequently, Nath was seen slapping the lift operator.
"He threatened both of us, saying, 'Sab ko dekh loonga' (I will make sure everybody gets punished)."
Hours later, Nath was arrested.
This came after Kumar lodged a police complaint against the resident for the treatment meted out to him. Other security guards also gathered at the gate and staged a protest against the businessman.
'Main Gareeb Hu, Lekin Kya Meri Koi Izzat Nahi Hai?'
Kumar, who hails from Uttar Pradesh's Auraiya, added, "Main gareeb aadmi hu, lekin kya meri koi izzat nahi hai? (I am a poor man, but don't I also have some respect?)."
Despite being assaulted, Kumar said that he kept his calm and spoke to Nath respectfully. "Mai teen saal se aapki seva kar raha hu," he told Nath, adding, "Aap jab bhi aate hai mai aapse izzat se baat karta hu."
"But he refused to listen to anything I had to say," Kumar said, adding that nothing as extreme as this had ever happened to him while he was on the job.
‘Take Rest for a Few Days’
After the incident, the guard was asked by his company to "take rest for a few days."
Kumar, who has a wife and three children, had come to Gurugram eight years ago to earn a livelihood and has been working as a guard in different housing societies since then. He has been at 'The Close North Apartments' for the last three years.
"I earn Rs 15,000-16,000 a month for a 12-hour night shift. It's not enough for me and my family, but what can I do," the 48-year-old said, adding, "Majboori hai."
In the last month, similar incidents of residents of high-rises across Delhi-NCR mistreating their buildings' housekeeping staff have been reported.
Last week, a 32-year-old woman was arrested in Noida for allegedly manhandling a security guard, hurling expletives at him, and making derogatory remarks against a particular community outside a housing society.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)